Protestant Church à Mulhausen dans le Bas-Rhin

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Origin and history

The Protestant church of Mulhausen, located in the Lower Rhine in the Grand East region, is a religious building whose origins date back to at least 1371, the date of its first historical attestation. The choir, of Gothic style, is traditionally dated from the 14th century, with arches of warheads, ribs on consoles and a key vault decorated with foliage. The nave, destroyed in the winter of 1944-1945, had been rebuilt in the eighteenth century before being replaced by a modern structure in 1957, including a side hatch tower. The church, originally dedicated to an unknown word (perhaps Saint Brigitte), became Protestant between 1545 and 1557, when the Reformation was introduced in the region.

The choir, classified as a historic monument in 1935, preserves notable Gothic elements such as a sandstone wall sink, broken arch windows, and a trilobed window partially hidden by a funeral monument of the Rutenburg family. The 17th century murals, representing the Evangelists and their symbols, have now disappeared. After the destruction of the Second World War, architect Charles Breitenbach rebuilt the nave and tower in 1957, then restored the choir around 1962 under the control of F. Gury, architect of the Buildings of France. The site remains an architectural testimony of religious transformations and post-conflict reconstructions in Alsace.

The building, owned by the municipality of Mulhausen, illustrates the evolution of a medieval place of worship towards a Protestant space marked by successive reconstructions. His choir, partially preserved, offers a rare example of Alsatian Gothic architecture, while the modern nave reflects contemporary adaptations. The presence of a funeral monument in the choir underscores its memorial role for local families, such as the Rutenburgs. Today, the church remains a historical and cultural landmark in the Bas-Rhin landscape, between medieval heritage and modernity.

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